History and current status of equine hoof trimming and shoeing in Shahrekord district

Hoof trimming and shoeing one of the traditional aspects of horsemanship in Charmahal and Bakhtiari province. Traditional use of horses, mules and donkeys in this province made owners to follow special patterns of foot care. In order to investigate traditional pattern of hoof trimming and shoeing 71 horses in 20 horse holding areas in Shahrekord were studied. Fifty one percent of horses were shod that 87% of were riding and 13% were draft horses. Fifty six percent of horses under study just shod on forelims. Twenty percent of horse owners shod their horses 1-2 times and 80% 3-4 times a year. Toe and heel height and also dorsal hoof angle efore and after trimming were evaluated to analyze the quality of trimming that were in normal range. Shoushtari (padded shoe), Zanjani (semi padded shoe), Najafabadi (Wide web shou) and Russian or governmental shoes (like today ordinary shoes) recorded as traditional shoes in this region. Mountain nails, Russian and Shoushtari nails also used as shoeing nails in this area.